Rail-anchor.



W. M. MITCHELL.

RAIL ANCHOR.

APPLICATION man FEB. 10. I917.

1,262,827. Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W. M. MITCHELL.

' RAILAN CHOR.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 10. 1917.

1,262,827. Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- WILLIAM ivr. MITCHELL, or otnsvILLE, KENTUCKY.

RAIL-ANCHOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented i is, rare.

Application filed February 10, 1917. Serial No. 147,762.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, l/VIJLLIAM M. MITCH- ELL, residing at Louisville, State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Anchors, of which I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

The present invention has for its object to provide an improved construction of rail anchor designed to prevent the longitudinal creeping of the rails of railway tracks, an example of this type of rail anchor being set forth in Letters Patent No. 1,18,4:7 8, granted to me May 23, 1916.

The invention consists in certain features of improvement tending to simplify and cheapen the construction of. the rail anchor and increase its eficiency and these features of improvement are set forth in the following specification, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 is a plan view showing my improved rail anchor in position upon a rail, a portion of one of the ties of a railway track being also shown. Fig. 2 is a view in cross section on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view in cross section on line 8-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation. Fig. 5 is a view in horizontal section on line 55 of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a view. similar to Fig. 5 but showing the parts in diflerent positions.

A designates a railway rail, the base flanges a and a of which will be engaged by the rail anchor and B denotes one of the railway track ties that will be engaged by the abutment or foot of the rail anchor when the anchor is in operative position upon the rail.

My improved anchor comprises a body member C and a movable jaw member D that is adapted to interlock with the body member as will hereinafter more fully appear. In the preferred form of my invention, illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the body member 0 is formedas a casting being provided at one end w1th a rigid jaw C preferably formed integral with the body member C. This rigid jaw C has a groove to receive one of the base flanges a of the rail A, the upper inwardly extending portion of the rigid jaw C bemg adapted to engage the upper surface of the base flange a of the rail. The outer wall of the groove in the rigid jaw O is formed with the inwardly extending portion 0 and with the inclined faces a and 0 extending outwardly from this central portion 0, as clearly shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing.

The purpose of thus constructing the outer wall of the groove of the rigid jaw C will hereinafter more fully appear.

At its opposite end the body member C of 'rib 0* the upper face of the body member C is shown as formed with serrations or teeth 0 adapted to engage with serrations or teethd formed on theunderslde. of the outer portion of the movable jaw or member D.

Instead of forming'the vertical rib c as a T-shaped rib (that is to say a rib having portions projecting laterally in both directions from its upper part). I form thisrib with one of its vertical walls flat, this flat wall being preferably the outer wall 0 The upper portion of the rib c is formed upon its inner side with a head or projecting portion 0 adapted to interlock with a project ing rib (Z that is formedat the lower portion of the inner depending wall d of the movable jaw or member D. It will thus be seen that the cavity of the movable jaw member D that receives the rib 0 will be of a shape corresponding to that of the rib and by forming the rib c and the cavity of the movable jaw D that receives this rib, of the shape shown, a material saving in metal and cost of manufacture is effected since no coring of the pattern is necessary in forming the flat outer face of the rib a such as would be required if the outer face of the rib were formed at its top with a laterally extending head or portion.

At the base of the rib 0 there is formed a vertical stop or shoulder a that has two functions, first, to prevent any attempt to place the movable jaw member upon the rib except by slipping this jaw member over the opposite end of the rib, and second, to pro- 0 adapted to engage the outer edge of the base flange a/ of the rail when the anchor is in such interlocking engagement with the rail as to prevent the creeping of the rail in the direction of the arrow, Fig. 6.

In applying my improved rail anchor to a mu, the body member will first be slipped under the base or the rail and the rigid jaw C will be engaged with the base flan e a of the rail, after 'w ich the opposite end oi the body member G will be raised. until the upper face of the body member bears against the bottom of the rail and the edge of the flange a engages the stopsc and c at the opposite ends of the raised rib 0 The movable jaw or member D will then he slipped over the end of the rib 0 farthest from the abutn'ient and this movable jaw member will be forced toward the abutment until the inclined bear ing surface at the bottom of its inner depending portion 5* bears against the upper inclined surface of the base flanged of the rail. WV hen the anchor is thus in position for use, the initial creeping of the rail A in the direction of; the a "row Fig. 5 will cause a slight rocking of the anchor thereby 'causing ll? to turn from the position shewn in Fi '5 to the position shown by full and dotted lines in] Fig. 6, at whiclif time the flanges a and a of the rail will be gripped between the inclined face 0 of the rigid jaw C and the shoulder a? at the oppositeend 0t thebody member C. Inasmuch there isoften a tendency of the railanchor, particularly when it. becomes embedded in. the ballast of the track, tobe shifted away from the tie B particularly bytheaction of, theQfrost in the ballast, it is desirablejtoso form theanchor that when such shift occursthere. shall still be a clamping oi the anchor at its; opposite ends against the flanges of the rail, and with my improved anchorit, will be seen that if therbody member, C; of the anchor is moved outwardly from the tie B: under such conditions, the cppositely inclined-outer wall of the groove in} the rigid jaw or member, C will permit this slight shift to occur and at such time the railwill thenbe gripped between the .incli'ned face otofthe rigid jaw C and the stopishoulder a at the end of the rib c nearestthe abutment 0 l/Vhile lpreferto term the outer wall of the groove in. the rigidj C with fiat faces oppositely incliiiingjfrom the centralpoint of the wall, it i sfobvious that this, wall of the groove might be made upon acurve.

a more effective gripping of the flange a? of the rail is insured than would be the case it a, shoulder to engage the flange extended tinuously from end to end of the rib 0%, d a swing of material is also efi'ected.

The feature of employing a stop 0 of such construction as to prevent any improper ap plication of the movable to the rib 0 is also important, as it insures that even in the hands of careless workmen the movable jaw D will be properly interlocked with the rib, o of the body member.

It will be understood that the precise desaid body member comprising an interlock.

ing rib and groove fiat on one side and offset on the other side, said rib" and groove being located; above the, top of the body portion of the anchor.

2; 'A rai'l anchor comprising a body mem ber provi ded at one end with a j aw to engage; one ofthe base flanges of the rail and provided at itsother end with a movable jaw .to engage the opposite, base flangev of the,

rail, said movable-jaw being formed with a downwardly open groove havinga fiat wall on one side and an offset wall on the opposite side, the bodymember being provided with. a vertical rib having one. side fiat and having the opposite side effect at its toptO' enter the groove of said movablejaw.

3. A raillanchori comprising a body member provided at one end" with a jaw toj-engage one of the base flanges oftherail'and provided at its other end with a movable jaw to engage the opposite base flange of the rail, means for connecting said movable jaw to said body, member comprising an interlocking rib and groove, and astopvpro jecting from one endofi'said rib, to prevent the improper engagement of" the movable jaw with the body member.

4-. A rail anchor comprisinga body member provided at one end witha to engage oneot thev base flanges oftherailiand provided at, its other endwvith a, movable jawto engage the opposite. base fiange ofathe rail, and means for eonneCtingsaid movable jaw to said body. member comprising a. rib rising vertically from saidbody memb'erjand provided at its'opposite endswith stops to engage the edge of the basefi'ange of the rail, said movable jaw being provided with a groove to receive said rib.

5. A rail anchor comprising a body member provided at one end with a jaw to engage one of the base flanges of the rail and provided at its other end with a depending abutment to engage a tie and with a movable jaw to engage the opposite base flange of the rail, said body member being provided also above said abutment with a vertical rib and with stops at the ends of said rib, the stop nearest the abutment being arranged to prevent the improper engagement of the movable jaw with the body member and said movable aw being provided with a groove to receive said rib.

6. A rail anchor comprising a body member provided at its opposite ends with jaws to engage the base flanges of the rail, one of said jaws having the inner vertical face of its wall disposed at an angle outwardly in each directionfrom its center, the opposite jaw being provided at its ends with inwardly extending lugs to engage the adjacent base flanges of the rail.

7'. A rail anchor comprising a body member provided at one end with a jaw to engage one of the base flanges of the rail and provided at its other end with an abutment to engage a tie and provided also with a jaw above said abutment to engage one of the base flanges of the rail, said body member being provided at the end adjacent said abutment with a plurality of stops to engage the adjacent edge of the rail flangeand having a jaw at its opposite end formed with a vertical wall inclined outwardly in both directions.

WILLIAM M. MITCHELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the commissioner of Iatents, Washington, D. G. 

